Neil Roman, The story of an Underdog
by ZeUbermensch
Summary: “We’re the sun boys. We’re the wind boys. Sleet, Hail and let’s throw in Acid why don’t we?” - Lonski Miller. Neil Roman, a 15 years old that's a new recruit. This story will take place through his eyes. He'll witness brutality For Sure . R'n'R please.
1. The 'Hell Hole'

We're the underdogs. Nobody cares about us. Here we are, willing to die… just for the money. Are we the ones making the money? No. You are. You might think being a hunter might be dangerous, but our division? No, we make all the Hunters look like children at work. We make the difference; the smaller Hunter guilds use the air the most unsafe, yet nonetheless the quickest way to travel; Shoddy old aircrafts. We walk on land. We're the rain boys. We're the sun boys. We're the wind boys. Sleet, Hail and let's throw in Acid why don't we? I'm a Recruit in Hunters camp. I had a choice. To get 'bounty' or simply help others for bounty, I was like all, Hmm… What to choose? Well looking at it, our Hunters always get killed. That's true. Either mutilated or dead, who cares. Anyways, you get some food, a home at camp if you help. 24/7. That's why.

"There it is!" Yelled Reddingham. Fox Reddingham, he's a thin guy I can tell you that, he had a pair of red sideburns topped off with an afro; Well, not really. It just had ringlets, and a lot, which however turned into an afro. I looked at my squad that had trouble trodding through the swamplands "Neil, Fox, and Ashton to the Supply drop! Double time!" Better said than done, we were in the thick murky swamp land, the trees were mossy and green and the water was green no light was making it due to the leaves and the branches. We had to walk in murky water. We've been at this for hours. Make it through the swamps, and plant satchels in the Mechaniloid's 'hell spawn'. Easier said than done once again. The land felt like mush. "Boys we're nearly there." Said our Sergeant Miller I saw an oversized duffel bag fall with a parachute on it.

It was falling into a patch of dirt and trees to the left of us. Miller, the leader of our group now pointed to the left. "Come on." We all moseyed to the isolated land. There was that duffel bag. We all checked the compartments. Rations, Ammo, Guns, and Pain pills "Hey, Pills here!" Ashton shouted. He had a black helmet with a skull on and the shortest of the group. "Shh. We're near the 'hell spawn' they function by sound" I growled back in return. Fox just nodded with me but Miller was stuffing his belt with the grenades in there. I got in the bag for some 'nades also. What was weird, the bag was a deep dark grey, the air-drops we get were just black or olive.

Miller just stood off on the patch with the darkest and wettest looking patch of dirt I've ever seen. He had a radio in his hand "Sergeant Ashe. Are you there over?" Miller just had a raspy and low voice. Ashe or whoever he was talking to have a smooth, nice feminine voice. "Yes. I'm about to dock, Over." Miller looked pissed already. "Don't dock!" He shouted. Did he want to get sniped or shelled? Pick your poison. "We have to kill all the positions." He said calmly. I can tell he was trying to keep his cool. "That takes time. Over." I looked into his radio's screen. "Jesus H. Christ, she shut off her radio." He threw it against the dirt. "It ain't my fault if she gets shot down. But we have to help. We can't mosey along forever." There was a hilly patch in front of us. We killed all the other spawns. Let's bounce. No. Not yet, Miller has a next call.

"Private Nicol. Are you there? Over." He was standing. He took his helmet off, Miller was bald and he had a goatee. A black salt and pepper goatee and he wasn't even out of his twenties. "Ye—"Miller had a distressed face on. His eyebrows were tightened. "Don't let Ashe dock! Your ship's stealthed and the Maverick's aircrafts provide a wall of defense, they do not care if they shoot their own down, they just care about the Biometal" Miller looked even more stressed. This time, his forehead had creases and wrinkles. "I'm sorry. Sergeant, she's gone." This dropped the bomb. "Guys, we have to back up Ashe. It was dumb of her to dock down without the all-clear but we must make it, Double time. Go, Go, Go!" When we made it on the first hill, Fox took out his binoculars "We can't. We gotta flank 'round. We'll be mowed down." "'N' we gotta get the satchels too." Said Fox disappointed. "I'll get that." I slid down the hill. A fresh wave of wind got in my face jumped over for the duffel bag and got the satchel. "Got it." I gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Neil gots 'em" All of them but Ashton slid, he just walked down. "Pick up the pace woman, we don't have much time!" We walked around the hill.

This place was different. It was a dark blue crater with a roof against Arial Attacks, along with that there were three buildings. Blue coated with ugly barb wires. "What the hell… a mortar crew? It's like they know they we're here!" I heard Ashton mutter that out loud. They had to defend that. It's where the mechs camp out on the passing hunter planes. Miller raised up both of his pinkies meaning fire at will "Use the 'nade launcher. They can't hear it fire. Plus, they won't be able to mark our positions." "Aw, now you're thinkin'" Said Ashton. I reached for the 'nade launcher until a message came out of all our radios. Full Blast. "This is Ashe, I… shhh.. bzzt… docked…. Suc…sess…fuully…" there came a full blast of static. She docked. That's all that's matter.

I had a choice. This is what I'll do for a living. Helping others.

The Mechaniloid took full fire against us. "RETURN FIRE!" I fired the grenade launcher at them, The mortar pit blew up. It was the biggest mistake ever. "LAUNCHERS!" Launchers were mechaniloids with Rocket Launchers. They hold up much more of a fight with sentries. Sentries were mechaniloids with just well, busters. We didn't see them but we weren't able to return fire. That smoldering crater was now THE 'hell spawn'. The Rockets got to the hill we were standing by. I didn't see what happened to Ashton. I just knew he got crushed. We've yet to scan the area. We didn't see. It was just rubbish and dirt in the air. More Rockets fell down. They were different. These shells… had smaller Mechaniloids, thing is they were like balls fluttering in the air, but the thing is… was like a ball that has a chainsaw on them. Two other anti-air pits back we were shelled again. Gassed and Sawed. We lost twenty guys on this mission. I got my machete out and sliced all of them that came to me. "Killer slash dude!" Said Fox. Giving compliments at a time like this? Weird.

"HELLPP MEE!!" Miller was getting gutted like a chicken in the slaughter-house. I ran over to him with the machete. I sliced them all. I dragged him out to the outer region of the island. No use. I was dragging a dead body. A dead body; He wasn't dead yet. He was gonna die anyways. It was my turn. I looked at that hill when I saw that sentry mechaniloid, He wasn't holding a buster. He wasn't holding a rocket launcher. He was holding an MG. Machine Gun. Fox was too busy running. When it took fire, Sand got in my eyes, but I was running around aimlessly, making myself a harder target. I fell down to the floor tasting the dirt. The Dirt was the last thing I thought I would taste... "Neil! NEIL!" I heard for call for me. I just closed my eyes. "Neil… They mowed us down, The Sarge is dead… Ashton got crushed… But no, not me and you man this ain't no Duck Hunt you 'n' me have wings baby WINGS!" He dragged me out to back to the swampland. The water and the dirt inside the water just intensified the pain. The green water was a mix of red due to my blood in the mix. Shoot. I could've got an infection.

"We're the sun boys. We're the wind boys. Sleet, Hail and let's throw in Acid why don't we?"

Author's Note: I wanted to add in more realism to Mega Man ZXA. I always thought, gee. That's slack-jaw retarded, I played through Ashe's story. I mean, gee… Won't it make more sense If you had a support team other than having money hungry hunters just getting the 'booty' and getting out? I mean, come on. You're gonna have to use some strategy someday. So I was like all screw this. I need my Sgt. Reznov (coolest video game dude ever.) and Pvt. Polonsky. (The best, funniest smart ass ever) from Call of Duty, I mean come on you're doing EVERYTHING in that game, from shooting down stuff with that Triple-A, or maybe running over Nazis with a Russian tank! So I was like all, what the heck would happen if MMZXA and COD5: WAW was high-school sweet hearts and made a baby. …Eat your hearts out Half-Life. You'll have your turn soon OK?


	2. Lucking Out

"Division 5 lucked out." Nana said grimly, her green hair was flowing down on that clipboard of hers. Anna bit her lip. "I have one person from there in right now. He should be up right now" Anna adjusted her collar and her hat. 'Take your job with pride damn it!' One of the sergeants from Division 5 always said that if their boots were dirty or too polished or if their hat was on sideways. She always felt sorry for 'em. She really did. Especially with the reports of 'em dying; that really did make her take her job more seriously… First, do no harm. She took a vow. An important vow, what was that vow called? "Anna, what happened to 'him'" putting the air-quotes on that word, 'Him.' Anna never really took to any guys. Did she like any? Well… "He got shot down by a 'sentry.'" She scrunched her face at sentry. What the heck's a sentry? Ask Neil Roman and Fox Reddingham. "I think it's a mechaniloid. For some reason, it wasn't like any other mechaniloid. It did wound him bad though." The Silence got awkward, and then it turned into page turning from Nana. "Neil Roman and Fox Reddingham, One 15, and one 17, the only guys surviving in Division 5 right now… Poor guys they're just like the old-time military. Young boys just going in and getting killed… it's sad." They both looked down. In the schools, they only touched the very tip of the wars that happened. Its brutality is like what Neil will witness.

"'Ey! Wake up man!" I just realized I was out of the dirty grimy and putrid swamp water. I saw Fox's red eyes. They were bloodshot; his voice was quiet and weak. I've never seen Fox like this. "Good. He's awake." I know that voice. I don't know whose it is though, followed by that was… I know that sound… It was the door opening. It felt good actually hearing it again. "Can you walk?" It was the nurse. One of the few female hunters, I never seen a female in our 'small' squads or divisions good thing is, they weren't shedding blood like us. Fox extended a hand, but the nurse said it'll be best if we can see if I can get up. I was able to stand, walk without feeling pain. Do I receive a purple heart? A reward? None. Just the reward of life. "Appreciate it guys." Fox just sniffled and gave me back my boots, Dirty yet strong looking. "Thanks Fox and…" I turned over to the nurse "Anna—my name's Anna." Her green hair was covering her face. "You forgot this too man." Fox handed me my License. It wasn't like a standard hunter's license; it was a gray one saying I'm in Division 5, my age, blood type and where I was born. I'd rather use a dog tag though. I used to have one before I went on my first mission, Our boat sank and we had to rely on air drops from the raiders to survive, which was funny 'cause we used to kick them to the pavement (We still do.) and most are radical, like pirates, but they were good guys.

Shouting was outside the door. "I don't believe this; they're taking er… cashing in our bounty!" It was Ashe's voice apparently, she was mad? At whom? "Hey, don't blame Division 5!" A bead of cold sweat went down my neck. We can be fired. Demoted, but I can't be demoted. I'm a recruit. The bottom of the barrel; we don't need this it's the last thing we need. An angry Sergeant will be the most of our trouble. "You're really gonna go to Legion and ask for a suspension of their license!?" It was Nicol shouting. He had to be careful before he gets 'fired' too. "Don't shout at your superiors!" I heard Ashe bark back. Fox and I shared pained looks; Anna put her first at her mouth and clenched it. "Oh my god…" I heard Anna said under her breath. "C'mon Grey. Lets get our bounty, and them suspended, we have no room for…" We didn't hear the last part. Nicol opened the infirmary door, with a grim face. We knew he was about to crack the news. "We know…" I mutter looking at the ceiling. What was I gonna do? Sure, all the really nice hunters would let me and Fox stay, but… we wouldn't be getting any sort of income. Not one bit. "They're going to Legion to redeem their bounties." Nicol said. "One of you guys should go, not both of you guys. If you both went, it would look like I sent you guys out. Besides, Neil you're always hanging out with Billy." Billy was hunter, the coolest Hunter ever; He saved a whole bunch of hunters that are out knocked out or being attacked around the perimeter of Hunter's camp. "With that said, Billy's on boarding the train also, you should go." Fox and I had a pained look. His hair barely covered his tears. "Alright, Thanks for telling us." I got my boots on and I went out the door. I knew where they were going, The Train station.

When I got up to the Train there they were, Billy, Ashe and some kid… "What's up Neil?" Ashe nudged that kid's elbow. "Nothing much, but a Long day." I responded nonchalantly. "I heard of what happened down there. Over 30 of y'all got mowed down. You'll be getting recruits right?" Bill extended his hand and helped me up the train. "Dunno." Bill had no idea. Ashe had no idea. That kid had no idea. "You wanna help us ship a package to Legion?" Bill was smiling at Ashe, if she requested termination of my position with me around; it would be too obvious that she wants me gone. I can read Bill like an open book.

"Sure." I said nodding, trying to keep up that 'O.K-This-is-just-a-mission-don't-worry-I'm-simply-trying-to-help' kind of attitude. "One more thing, you left your gun round here. Don't leave guns here, or the little ones will take em." He tossed me my revolver, and the small box of moon-clips and bullets I left. Was I really that careless? It was a black revolver designed by some guy up in camp, I dunno. It was the long bore kind though. Some hunters would tease me if they saw me carrying this around saying guns were "old and obsolete and get out of the 1970s 'Clint Eastwood'." (Who the heck is he?) I thought it was beautiful though, it was armor piercing and incendiary; if it hit anything it would set on fire. It took like 5 seconds for this to fire rapidly though, it was a major modification though.

I slid the gun in my already empty holster. "All Aboard!" Billy Bellowed. The train sputtered to life, and here we are… To Legions, but we didn't know much about Legions civics, we've been hearing they work like the Judicial branch of the once-powerful US, but we don't know. There went the train, chugging and chugging. The landscape changed from green to desert. This region's weird. "So, why are we only having a train for one container?" To that kid Billy responded to him like a kindergartner teacher. I just wandered off in my head. Ashe was talking, snap to attention. "So, I want to be remembered in the Textbooks!" I raised an eyebrow. "We still use those?" Billy looked at me. "Its figurative speech, we hadn't used those in like a million years." I had a good back view of the kid he was standing right in front of me, what was funny, He had a bad nick on the side of his face like he was cut or something and he had two plugs from this thing he was wearing like a necklace. Was he some sort of prisoner? Besides, he had a baby face and his hair was the same color of Ashe's hair; White. Thing is, they seemed to be my age though.

Green bug-like Mechaniloids sputtered over us, dropping small grenade like things on us. "SHIT, MECHANILOIDS" I bellowed, I took out 'the gun' and fired it. The lead mechaniloid trying to flank righty' round us and all behind it got set on fire. The revolver's barrels were smoking it burned a bit, but it was well worth it. They all fell down. Why not kill 20 mechaniloids with a bullet? Billy ran past us "They're going for the engine, wait here guys!" He was running around with that buster of his. After leaving three of us in the dust I heard Ashe said "Give me that gu—"Right in front of us were two Mavericks? Mechaniloids? One had a pointed Helmet like a dunce helmet and but a skull was like engulfing his face. His armor was gray and purple. Next to him was a womanly figure she had a helmet like an AA battery with two little ribbons flowing, speaking of AA Batteries; do we still even use those? Her armor was blue and white

"Oh look, Ashe…" Dunce-cap-man looked deeply at the kid's face. "Grey…" He cracked an evil grin at him. He didn't even notice me. "Give us the Biometal." I didn't even say anything. Here they are dropping by nonchalantly and coming about like the Repo-men? "The 'booty'!?" Grey staggered. "Yes, the 'booty!'" I snickered. Booty… hehe… "Well, well… well… And who is this bug?" I stopped. "We need what's ours…" Dunce-cap-man said, Disregarding me already "And we must kill the defected…" said AA-Battery-Head woman. She was looking at Grey; dead straight in the Eye. "I am not Defected, and I'm not gonna die for reasons I don't know why!" Dunce-cap-man got out a staff, and it charged up, turning into a scythe. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice." Dunce-cap-dude impaled the metal floor, and there it was. A green wave, it incapacitated Grey and Ashe. "So sorry Ashe… we can let you live if you give us the bounty." That's what they were, Raiders! I was forced to kill them if they did harm, but they are so what the heck! I took aim with the black revolver. Looking through the Ironsights…

I shot Dunce-cap-man once in the hand. It knocked his pseudo-scythe right out of his hands. The bullet went right through it, .44 magnum, punk. And It can blow your hea—" AHH, MY FLESH… IT BURNS!" AA-Battery-Chick got her staff out and it… turned… well into a staff with two panels. She shot a bolt of lighting at me. It missed. "WIIITTTTCHHH!" I yelled. She was I mean she had her damned wand out and making super-natural-weirdo-stuff-that's-only-even-possible-in-a-damned-comic-book-come-true!

"Brother… are you alright?" She had a kindergartner teacher voice, ice-cream trucks. You know, the kind that'd only appeal to kids.

The revolver cooled itself off. I shot it at the witch, she tried deflecting but it went through her armor. She bit her lips and murmured a spell, it stopped Dunce-cap-brother's effect, and her effect also; The Revolver's worthless! The revolver was overheated; I couldn't fire, not in the next five seconds. It was a good time to pray…

'"_Boy, are you prayin'!?" "Yes Mama" "You ain't prayin' hard enough, they be still coming all up over here!" There came the shot that finished Mama off. It broke her spine and my spirits. '_

' "_You… can't die… not now… you always survive…" I looked in her eyes. It was my Girlfriend; who died when the Mechaniloids invaded town. Marry. I'm so sorry… Mom. I'm sorry. '_

The green wave got me down, but it hurt my shoulder. The revolver was ready. I tried shooting but I missed, the recoil and my shoulder didn't mix well. Not one bit. Behind me was the… Bounty, the Biometal… I went up for it, but I needed to keep it safe. It felt like an obligation; an obligation that'd get me killed. The blasts of the wave somewhat blinded me. It made me fall against the already broken metal crate.

' "_This is our new recruit. Neil Roman. We're gonna do an all-out invasion on the islands… How old are you son?" Said Sgt. Miller "Fifteen." "Wow, ain't you a dedicated li—"The boat rocked; causing me and the other troops to fall down. "Hang in there son, We'll be out and about in three days!" he put a hand over my shoulder. Miller. Lonski Miller. I miss you. We'll be out Soon. I thought, soon. How long is soon? We're still fighting.' _

"Come on, say it now!" Say what… now? It was a whiny high pitched voice "Say… what…"

'"_Our birds bombed the shit out of this place." Fox Muttered. "Raiders are still trying to shoot down our birds, when they're refueled and ready, and hopefully when we killed all the posi—" Our tank was getting shot by launchers, first thing, the offensive parts. The auto cannon was shot off so It couldn't retaliate. "What the hell!?" I heard Fox said. "Off the tanks NOW!" We did as Miller said. Good thing we did. The tank blew up. Damned launches ripped a hole in it. We tasted the dirty mud, our tanks are bogged down, and scars mixed with sweat Hunters' morale are low…dunno what'll keep us going. Our families; gone, we're penniless… we're fighting death right in the face. I don't understand you Neil Roman. Why? Why are you fighting? For a cause that's lost? no… NO! They killed your mother and your girlfriend, City's gone, wake up and smell the coffee, these bastards WILL taste my hardships that I've been through!'_

' "_Journal Entry #19_

_Mechaniloid hell spawns._

_Most of our troubles have been in these mortar pits, we have bucket-loads of recruits coming in. When they fight, they get tired. When they get tired, their morale is low. Kids these days, __**my greater-than-great grandfather fought in World War 2, he hung up the Soviets' flag in the Capital of Germany; Berlin**__. He was the flag holder. If he were to die on the spot, flag could've been destroyed and the heart of the Soviet army could've been shattered and morale would've been in the dumps. _

_But as I look at these worthless sons of mothers, they don't care about the flag, the land, hell, even the people before them that kicked ass. But two in particular interested me Neil Roman, and Fox Reddingham. These kids had been through a lot. Weak skinny and frail; that's what Neil and Fox is, that's how we all come… in a few weeks… even months in Division 5, you got a kid that can save all these damned god-forsaken-good-for-nothing-sons-of-mothers. They 'oughta take a lesson from these boys. _

_-Lonski Miller' "_

The moments were slow, and devastating. "Smile for the insecticide, maggot." Dunce-Cap-brother said. Yet… he was shouting. It was lame; he was nowhere near intimidating… but the thing I feared was how I was gonna get out… Body-bag or not, or somehow end up kicking their asses? "Say it… Yell as loud MEGAMERGE! As loud as you can! I'll lend you my power!" It was the high-pitched voice. "Pow… er..?" "Just say it NOW!"

I did.

**Author's Note**: I had a good time making this chapter, yet I have a hard time thinking that they have tanks though, let's see a Mega man Equivalent of one... Ride armor? I don't like the fact of Guns not used in 'Megaman ZX times' it's not fun making a story about a kid in like a division like in Call of Duty without guns. I just had to add in the Dirty Harry gun though. Neil's character would've been a bad ass like Clint, but I just decided that there were just TOO much bad asses in Megaman, (Protoman, Bass, … and Duo…? Where do I even start!?) Also when I saw the gameplay videos of Prometheus and Pandora, I just referred to them as Dunce-cap man and AA-battery woman. Hey. It works. Even worse, I actually thought the Medic from Team Fortress 2 was a Ghost-buster!


End file.
